# Stern Pinball Hires New Game Designer

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-07-09  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/blog/stern-pinball-hires-new-game-designer

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball has hired renowned homebrew pinball designer Tanner Petch as a new game designer, effective July 2026. Petch is known for innovative custom machines including 'Trashland' and 'House of Flesh and Blood,' and brings a strong portfolio of artistic and mechanically complex designs from the homebrew scene.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stern Pinball hired Tanner Petch as a new game designer starting in July 2026 — _Jason Knapp (Knapp Arcade) reporting, sourced from Joe Ciaravino's post in PiNbALL DeGENeRaTES group_
- [HIGH] Tanner Petch is a well-known pinball homebrewer whose most well-known game is 'Trashland' — _Jason Knapp states Tanner has created numerous pinball machines with Trashland being the most well-known_
- [HIGH] Tanner Petch's most recent game before joining Stern is 'House of Flesh and Blood' — _Jason Knapp reporting on Petch's recent homebrew work_
- [MEDIUM] Tanner Petch built five working custom pinball machines as part of his college graduate program thesis involving building his own arcade — _Jason Knapp describes Petch's educational background and thesis project_
- [MEDIUM] Tanner Petch brought many of his games to Chicago Pinball Expo — _Jason Knapp references Petch's participation in major pinball shows_

### Notable Quotes

> "if you've followed the homebrew pinball scene or been to many of the major pinball shows over the last several years, you are likely familiar with his work"
> — **Jason Knapp**, n/a
> _Establishes Tanner Petch's prominence and visibility in the pinball community despite potentially being unknown to casual players_

> "Tanner's games are basically playable pieces of art"
> — **Jason Knapp**, n/a
> _Characterizes the artistic and mechanical innovation in Petch's designs_

> "Congratulations to the well-known pinball homebrewer Tanner Petch on his new position, which he started at Stern this month"
> — **Jason Knapp**, n/a
> _Direct confirmation of Petch's hiring and start date at Stern_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer that has hired Tanner Petch as a new game designer |
| Tanner Petch | person | Acclaimed homebrew pinball designer hired by Stern Pinball in July 2026; known for innovative machines including Trashland and House of Flesh and Blood |
| Joe Ciaravino | person | Founder of PiNbALL DeGENeRaTES Facebook group; original source of Stern hiring announcement |
| Jason Knapp | person | Founder/editor of Knapp Arcade; reported on Stern's hiring of Tanner Petch |
| Trashland | game | Homebrew pinball machine by Tanner Petch; described as his most well-known game |
| [name withheld pending review] | game | Most recent homebrew pinball machine by Tanner Petch before joining Stern |
| Chicago Pinball Expo | event | Major pinball show where Tanner Petch has showcased his homebrew machines |
| PiNbALL DeGENeRaTES | organization | Facebook group founded by Joe Ciaravino where the Stern hiring announcement was first posted |

### Signals

- **[personnel_signal]** Stern Pinball recruited prominent homebrew designer Tanner Petch, signaling investment in new creative talent and potentially a shift toward more innovative mechanical design (confidence: high) — Jason Knapp confirmed Stern hired Tanner Petch as game designer starting July 2026; Petch is established in homebrew community with multiple acclaimed machines
- **[design_innovation]** Transition of a celebrated homebrew designer into commercial manufacturing suggests potential influence of custom/indie design sensibilities on future Stern titles (confidence: medium) — Tanner Petch described as creating 'playable pieces of art' with 'innovative and unique aspects'; his work characterized as blending mechanical complexity with artistic merit
- **[community_signal]** Homebrew designers gaining visibility and opportunities in commercial manufacturing reinforces the homebrew scene's credibility and cultural importance within pinball (confidence: medium) — Knapp notes Petch's strong reputation in homebrew scene at major shows; Petch's educational thesis focused on building custom arcade with five pinball machines

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## Transcript

News Stern Pinball Hires New Game Designer k knapparcade July 9, 2026 Overnight a post in the cool PiNbALL DeGENeRaTES Facebook group caught my attention. According to the post by group founder, Joe Ciaravino, Stern Pinball has hired a new designer. I looked into it and sure enough they have! Congratulations to the well-known pinball homebrewer Tanner Petch on his new position, which he started at Stern this month. Even if you aren't familiar with the name, Tanner Petch, if you've followed the homebrew pinball scene or been to many of the major pinball shows over the last several years, you are likely familiar with his work. Tanner has created a number of wild pinball machines, but the most well-known one is probably his game "Trashland." His most recent game is "House of Flesh and Blood." I'll include pictures and short videos of his games below. It is unbelievable how many innovative and unique aspects there are in them. Beyond the interesting shots, Tanner's games are basically playable pieces of art, which makes sense given the fact that his college graduate program thesis involved building his own arcade with five working custom pinball machines. He ultimately brought many of these games to the Chicago Pinball Expo. Below is a link to an article that the website Bong Boing published about Tanner's work several years ago and examples of his work: Check out Tanner Petch's weird homebrew pinball machines Trash land is a wild homebrew pinball. - YouTube Tap to unmute Trash land is a wild homebrew pinball. Indie Arcade Wave Indie Arcade Wave Homebrew Showcase: House of Flesh and Blood Pinball by Tanner Petch - YouTube Tap to unmute Marco Pinball Marco Pinball !Advertisement Ad 2 of 3 Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video. Download the video instead. New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today Image courtesy of the Boing Boing article Image courtesy of the Boing Boing article Image courtesy of the Boing Boing article Posted 22 minutes ago k About knapparcade Site administrator Comments (0) Please sign in to join the conversation. No comments yet Be the first to share your thoughts on this post! Related Articles Stern Pinball Hires New Game Designer 22 minutes ago Spooky Pinball Dead Ring In Action, Factory Tour & Rumors; Tales of the Arabian Nights Remake Interview; New Sonic the Hedgehog Merch about 18 hours ago Spooky Pinball Launches New Undercabinet Lighting; the Dungeon Crawler Carl Pinball Teasers Continue & More 3 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement Ad 3 of 3 New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today StripeM-Inner

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: b1998e70-5f4b-4f54-991d-817d0b01cf84*